Alcaraz opens title defence on US Open Day 2 as Sabalenka and Swiatek return to court

On Day 2 of the 2026 US Open in New York on August 31, defending men's champion Carlos Alcaraz begins his title defence while two-time defending women's champion Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek are among the leading players scheduled to play.

The second day continues first-round action after Day 1 produced a major upset when Mariano Navone eliminated Novak Djokovic in a five-set match; Djokovic’s defeat followed episodes of vomiting and severe physical discomfort and ended a run of 78 consecutive Grand Slam first-round victories. Also slated for Day 2 are Naomi Osaka, Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe, as the tournament progresses at Flushing Meadows.

Alcaraz, the second seed, will open against Roman Safiullin and is due on court at 10:30 pm IST. The Spaniard arrives having missed the French Open and Wimbledon because of a wrist injury, and his return to Flushing Meadows has already started in mixed doubles, where he partnered Serena Williams.

Sabalenka begins her bid for a third straight US Open title against Camila Osorio, with the world No. 1 placed on Arthur Ashe Stadium and her match scheduled for 9 pm IST. Swiatek is set to meet Wang Xiyu later in the day and Osaka faces Anastasia Zakharova in the evening session.

Swiatek’s opening match is listed for 4:30 am IST on Tuesday, followed by Osaka’s contest at 6:30 am, according to the Day 2 schedule. Amanda Anisimova, last year’s runner-up, starts her campaign against Ashlyn Krueger on the same day.

Seeded women's match-ups also include seventh seed Karolina Muchova against Sinja Kraus and 15th seed Diana Shnaider versus Daria Snigur. Those fixtures join the broader slate of first-round encounters on Day 2.

The men's draw on Day 2 features Stefanos Tsitsipas meeting 10th seed Arthur Fils, Andrey Rublev facing Marin Cilic and Grigor Dimitrov playing Alexei Popyrin. Stan Wawrinka is scheduled to play Matteo Berrettini; the 2008 Olympic singles champion is competing at the US Open for what is expected to be the final time before his planned retirement at the end of the season.

All listed matches on the Day 2 schedule are first-round fixtures. All timings are in IST; listed match times are approximate start times and can shift depending on the completion of earlier matches.